Pre Feminist/Mental Health positive animated shows that are a must watch in your teens

After spending hours on my ass, binge-watching She-Ra, and Race to the Edge (both awe-inspiring shows by DreamWorks, they really outdid themselves), I began re-watching old cartoons and honestly, it's really relaxing to watch something simple yet still influential.

(Heads up for spoilers)

So to kick off my first official post with something light-hearted, here are 7 pre-feminist/ Mental Health positive animated shows that are a must-watch in your teens;

Pre-feminist shows;

  

 

BARBIE AND TOTALLY SPIES-

The Barbie franchise began when the first doll was introduced in March 1959, imitating the glamour of that era. Barbie first came out as a fashion doll and eventually astounding the world when she went to the moon four years before Neil Armstrong. Since then, the entire Barbie franchise painted her adventures from an astronaut to the President of a country. She was a symbol to young girls/non-cishet men that anyone, despite gender, can do the impossible.

Totally Spies, a French-Canadian show featuring three high school students, from Beverly Hills, as the badass protagonists; agents operating - a once male-dominated occupation- for a secret government organization, WHOOP, and still accomplishing to be the first on the latest fashion trends.

The plot progressed to the three of them working high-end cases, managing school, and enjoying themselves and each others company.

Whilst some would argue that the show promotes feminism- regarding that the majority of the characters are women- it's actually the contrary. The show is more pre-feminist, as the main idea of feminism isn't exactly encouraged or considered in any way but mostly introduced. 

And few others might even debate that the show advertised stereotypical woman, conditioned by the patriarchy. 

It's reasonable why few would believe that portraying stereotypical women might coat the wrong idea that women should naturally be feminine, thin, wear make-up etc. And I partly agree with that. The show did have certain fatphobic instances that did disappoint, but that's why I said 'pre-feminist,' where the ideas of feminism are gradually coming to light. Of course, this doesn't justify the show's actions of putting the idea 'fat = bad,' and they have been rightfully called out.

Their femininity had nothing to do with their competence and was still portrayed as strong women.

Barbie, a strong feminine character, pursuing her dreams. The entire franchise was well developed, with every Barbie movie having a different moral. Feminist morals excluded.

The influence of the character Barbie was the same as Totally Spies. A 'stereotypical' feminine woman, accomplishing in various - once male-dominated - fields. The character impacted profoundly on the majority of the youth, inducing a sense of hope and belief.

The emphasised similarity here is that neither of the shows caters to patriarchal control. Because neither of the shows was performative femininity to appease the male gaze. So no, your mindset that feminine women are 'bad' should be buried along with your toxicity.

The 'tomboy' trope was also excluded, dismissing the idea that 'masculine women = strong women.'

The idea that feminine women = bad women is toxic and because of that representation in the media, we, in turn, build an internal toxic feminist idea. Because somehow 'typical' feminine woman caters to the patriarchal influence, which isn't true at all. The patriarchy was created to satisfy the perceptions of cishet men and their misogynistic notions of how a certain individual should be.

Due to this influence, I personally found myself hating the idea of anything mildly feminine anywhere near me. 

Through the impact of social media, I realise that it is absolutely okay to embrace femininity, and that does not define your worth or anybody else's. (This doesn't include just women, it includes all genders who have trouble embracing and/or accepting their femininity).

Because people don't dress up to please conservative misogynistic cishet men!

If you are someone repressing your feminine side, despite gender or what is typically expected from you by society, then please stop. Just be yourself, the rest of the world's opinion never mattered nor will it ever.

Also, stop antagonizing femininity!

Few other such shows would be Winx club and Powerpuff girls. 

Again, strong independent feminine women, pursuing dreams, defeating bad guys and looking good doing it.  

I wouldn't group it under feminist shows since certain controversies need to be addressed. (Comment below if you want me to do another post about that).

Positive Mental Health shows;

TW; Mentions of Depression, anxiety, OCD, Anti-Social disorders, Bipolar disorders etc.

 

 

My Little Pony; 

Hold your judgemental opinions, and hear me out. My Little Pony was and always will be one of the best kids show, which addressed many serious issues like depression, anxiety, abandonment issues, toxic relationships and their harmful effect, OCD, anti-social disorder,r etc.

At first glance, this seems unlikely, but after binge-watching the entire show once again, I realised they did subtly talk about this. Although it was never confirmed by the writers.

I am going to refrain from extensive details since it's quite long and sensitive, so I will just highlight certain situations.

The character Fluttershy is first presented as a shy, scared mare. Her character progresses in overcoming her social anxiety and stage fright. She finds solace in communicating with animals more than ponies. 

Her entire character arch is pretty relatable as this is something everyone goes through. Instead of reaching out, we find a passion that directs us to be our outlet. Her character remarks about how to subdue this and starts opening up and letting people in. 

Twilight sparkle is introduced as someone sceptical about reality, and more enrapt in facts, books and studies. Throughout the show, we see her reaching out of her comfort zone and begins embracing and enjoying life. Certain situations even highlighted that she may have an obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD is more than just frequent cleaning and rearranging, and Twilights character mentions that subtly well. Her compulsive thoughts, obsessive behaviours are all seemingly indicators of OCD. They're very even a few signs of her anxiety. Again, her character growth and experiences teach her how to surmount them. 

Few other side characters like Starlight Glimmer and Sunset Shimmer supposedly went through anti-social disorder and depression, considering their villainous behaviours, and ultimately, they're able to overcome that too. 

Starlight brainwashed an entire village to give up who they are to be equal to each other and manipulated everyone's emotions and thoughts. She brought forth the notion that different people are just too unlike to ever seem accepting.

Sunset Shimmer, too, has an entire school wrapped around her finger. Verbatim to Starlights actions, she gaslighted her classmates, eventually allowing it to be her downfall.

It was later stated that these characters had their own share of childhood trauma, which explained their actions. Though didn't justify it.

The show emphasises the main reality of life; growth and experiences and even talked about how the right people in your life can act as guidance. Abuse should never be tolerated, whether emotional or physical, and self-care is as important as caring for the people you love.

Overall, the show is quite comedic and relaxing and really worth the re-watch. 

If people start looking past the colourful animation and focus sorely on the character/story outline, arch and growth, you might be surprised at what you learn.

Regular Show;

A coming of age show where things don't exactly go as planned.

I don't remember much about this show, other than the fact I really enjoyed it. Funny and engaging. 

Race To The Edge;

This show is hands down thrilling. From the animations and detailings to the storyline, character arcs, and morals. Not to mention the few instances eradicating toxic masculinity (And yes, there is a male character wearing a skirt) and calling out blatant sexism.

A spinoff series between the first and the second How To Train Your Dragon movie, detailing their adventures, relationships and discoveries which was vaguely described in the second Httyd movie. It begins with The Riders of Berk series with three-season, exhibiting their youthful ventures and then advances with Race to The Edge, in their teenage tenure.

Snotlout Jorgensen (Yor-gen-sen) was a character I was sceptical about in the beginning as his actions influenced rape culture. The constant flirting and persuasion to date Astrid Hoffersion (Female lead) was plain disgusting. But I was quick to judge, as an episode of Race to the Edge called out Snotlout sexism when he unexpectedly landed on an island inhabited by warrior women. He disrespected his hostesses by treating them like mere objects belonging in the kitchen. (Although it wasn't explicitly said by the character, his actions spoke louder). Determined to retrieve their friend, the Riders set out to find Snoutlout. At the end of the episode, Snotlout realises his mistake and apologies. Throughout the series, we observe his character growth, fighting his internal toxic masculinity, and learning to respect women.

Let me take a page out of Snotlout book and highlight this;

Stop pushing someone after they have explicitly said 'No'

Stop romanticizing and normalizing this!

He backed down when he found out his best friend and his childhood crush were dating. 

Greatest redemption arc ever! 

In another episode, Throk, your average masculine cishet man, heads out to take Ruffnut Thorston (another female character) hand in marriage. When intervened before, by the riders, and he states that he is off to practically carry her back to his hometown, where she would spend the rest of her days as his "trustworthy wife." When he is questioned if Ruffnut is aware of his decisions, he says, "was that important?" (Resulting in, Astrid, feminist warrior queen on the verge of relinquishing her inner Demon after witnessing ignorant male misogynistic mindset). The Riders take him away to teach the more modern and less male-dominant way to ask for someone's hand in marriage (since Throk was basically raised in a patriarchal society, considering this is the Viking age storyline set in).

Again, throughout the series, the character grows and educates himself, eradicating the patriarchal influence, and adapting to the modern environment.

This pre-feminist influence doesn't just affect the youth, but also the older generation. 

Dagur The Deranged (king of my heart) is one of the few characters to eradicate toxic masculinity. This seems highly unlikely because Dagur is depicted as a psychotic villain, hell-bent on killing the protagonist and his Dragon, quite masculine, who eventually turns good, but hear me out.

Firstly, the man wore a skirt during the entire show. 

Despite his exterior features, the man is a marshmallow. Unlike your typical Viking men, Dagur's character is softer, emotionally vulnerable and very open about his emotions. Even when he was first introduced as a psychotic villain, it was considerably clear how his emotions were kept on display (which the patriarchy considers a feminine feature). He could decapitate an entire armada and still be able to cry and talk about sentiments. 

As the result of immense childhood trauma, he was given the title "Deranged," which reveals his emotional vulnerability (and possibly bipolar disorder). He was much likely to get emotionally attached to anyone who dispensed him the slightest kindness. This includes his relationship with the protagonist and why he considered him as a brother even before his redemption arc.

His entire storyline is sad, heartbreaking, and yet relatable. And the execution of his mental health issues, and his redemption, was profoundly well written.

Another great redemption arc, DreamWorks never disappoint.

Hiccup, the protagonist, and Fishlegs are two other characters that don't fit the traditional Viking masculinity. They were depicted more as the brains than the brawn, sympathetic and again, emotions weren't their enemy. 

There was also the representation of disabled people. The protagonist, Hiccup Haddock, has a prosthetic leg due to his gruesome encounter with a Dragon. There are a bunch of other disabled characters observed, and although their struggles aren't elaborated, their existence is normalised. There aren't any encounters where such people are mocked or discriminated against.

Extraordinary would be an understatement to describe the show. I highly recommend it.

And that concludes this post. If you know any other shows or movies that fit this category, comment below.

Looking forward to your remarks, feedback and suggestions and constructive criticism. Thank you all for the support and help to make this possible.